APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 2,360 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

APG Asset Management N.V. cut its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 708,186 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,360 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $193,944,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 93.6% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $308.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $282.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $86.86 billion, a PE ratio of 42.32, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

About Ecolab

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.